Seen this kid a lot and the best comparable is Brenden Dillon his 20 year old year (if that means anything to you ). He likes to carry the puck a lot and join the rush (i suspect he used to play forward) and his skating ability allows him to get back in position quickly. His ability to quarterback a powerplay has the T-birds PP near the top of the WHL on a team that has no business being up there.

I love Dillon, but to me Theodore plays nothing like him. Dillion is tougher, way better shot while Theodore is more about skating, vision, and quickness. I still like the comparison above in Pouliot, but Shea will be better defensively, while Derrick will be better offensively.

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Originally Posted by Skinnyjimmy08

His ability to read the ice is possibly tops in the WHL. He has unbelievable vision and its crazy thinking he is only 17.

I love Dillon, but to me Theodore plays nothing like him. Dillion is tougher, way better shot while Theodore is more about skating, vision, and quickness. I still like the comparison above in Pouliot, but Shea will be better defensively, while Derrick will be better offensively.

I'm with RS. It's solid, but not one of the best of the dub.

yeah not the greatest comparison (the dillon one) but i see a lot of similarities in their offensive games from when dillon was in the WHL. i remember he would carry the puck so much and try to create with his feet more than with his breakout passing and i see Theodore doing a lot of this. Theodore actually has the better shot no doubt in my mind. I honestly am having a hard time finding a comparison for this kid

Its because of him that the below average T-Birds have the best Powerplay percentage in the league. If he was quarterbacking a team like Portland or something, i guarentee he would be ranked in top 5 for this NHL draft

Its because of him that the below average T-Birds have the best Powerplay percentage in the league. If he was quarterbacking a team like Portland or something, i guarentee he would be ranked in top 5 for this NHL draft

Perhaps, although when you compare Theodore with Derrick Pouliot in terms of their respective skill sets and how Pouliot was ranked last year .... it's probably a fair question to ask. It's not unusual at all to have a defender pulled up the rankings because they're piling up points largely on account of the players around them. Siemens and Pouliot are IMO two recent examples.

As for Theodore, some people will put him in the first round because his skating and puck movement skills are top-notch, but others will rank him down substantially because he has all the grit of a wet kleenex and plays a very tepid uninvolved game in his own zone.

We had a bit of a chat with Theodore where we discussed everything from the Mike Green comparisons to the ribbing he's getting from teammates for being a projected first rounder (we have him 27th in our November ranking).

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Shea Theodore is more than aware of how to deal with opponents targeting him.

He still has to figure out how to handle his teammates.

The top draft eligible prospect of the Seattle Thunderbirds, Theodore is bearing the brunt of a lot of pokes, jokes and good-natured ribbings from his teammates.

“Yeah, the guys get on me about it quite a bit but I just try to ignore it as much as I can,” Theodore said.

Kid has been pretty impressive as of late. 3 of the new mock drafts on NHL.COM (morreale, hoffner, kimelman) have him mid 1st to late 1st round-ish. I really think he is going to sneak in around the 12-20 mark. Kid has unbelievable talent and is putting up impressive points (64 gp. 16g. 29a. 45pts.) on a BIGTIME NON offensively gifted Seattle Thunderbirds team. I still think that if he were on a different and better team that had great goal scorers, he would be in the 5-10 range for the draft. Just wanted to give him a mention here on how he's doing and am predicting a NHL team will take him higher than people think!!

Especially on a real bad T-Bird team.... I still feel an NHL team will "go off the board" a bit and take him alot higher than he is ranked. I am thinking around 10-12th... If he were quarterbacking a better and more dangerous WHL team, he would be talked about to be taken in the 5-10 range I have always thought. Can't wait to see when he gets drafted. This kid is going to be UNREAL in his 18 and 19 year old junior season(yes I strongly feel he will still need a couple more years in the WHL after being drafted high just because he is still quite physically immature when you see him off ice)

Wow 5-10 range? That is very bold considering I still think he is a very high second round to low 1st round.

The highest I could see a team pick him is between 21st to 24th.

Well i mean 5-10 range if he was on a better team.... Like if he was on the PP for say Portland or something. 19 goals on a brutal T-bird team, imagine him on Winterhawk PP or OilKing PP or something? I guess he would be getting more assists that goals, but u know what i mean.... he would light it up point wise. Thats just my gut, I know alot of people would disagree but I just think his offensive play and his vision on the ice is unbelievable. Crazy thinking he is only 17 years old.

Look at it this way, I am not comparing Seth Jones to Theodore what so ever because I think Seth Jones is far and beyond the top pick for this NHL draft and something special that comes around once in a blue moon, but imagine if Seth stayed with Everett and committed to that team? That is a horrible team and he would have no real good forwards to set up or play with, so sure he may have still gotten decent point total, but Im sure his +- would be brutal and I really dont think there would be quite as much hype with him as there is now with him playing with..... well just look at the Winterhawk roster hahaha wow!!!. Playing on a great team with great players helps alot and unfortunatley Shea is a great player playing with average players.... He needs Barzal to sign there asap!!!hahah

Well i mean 5-10 range if he was on a better team.... Like if he was on the PP for say Portland or something. 19 goals on a brutal T-bird team, imagine him on Winterhawk PP or OilKing PP or something? I guess he would be getting more assists that goals, but u know what i mean.... he would light it up point wise. Thats just my gut, I know alot of people would disagree but I just think his offensive play and his vision on the ice is unbelievable. Crazy thinking he is only 17 years old

Not discounting your opinion, but I hate the "look at all the production on a crap team..." stuff.

Being on an awful team, usually entails playing a considerable amount more. And while the level of the players around him might not be great, he's probably getting tons of PP time.

I still think he's a very skilled offensive defensman, but the main thing that would change being on a good team is his +/-. I don't think would change the opinions that are out there on his defensman game (which is a work in progress).

Seattle is around the middle of the pack in goals for, it's their goals against that makes them a poor team.

They've also got a middle of the pack PK, but have given up the most SH goals.

Shea Theodore will end up drafted somewhere between 20-45 IMO. He has to improve his defensive game, I'm hoping he gets to play for Canada at the U-18 to help his stock even more.

I respect everyones opinions... I think it'll come down to if certain scouts love this guy. Ive seen rankings that have him ranked 18th, 23rd, 29th (on NHL.COM's mock draft guys Morreales, Hoffner and Kimelman) to Craig button having him ranked 65th... so you never know. I just have a feeling, like i said before, that some team will "go off the board" with him

Well i mean 5-10 range if he was on a better team.... Like if he was on the PP for say Portland or something. 19 goals on a brutal T-bird team, imagine him on Winterhawk PP or OilKing PP or something? I guess he would be getting more assists that goals, but u know what i mean.... he would light it up point wise. Thats just my gut, I know alot of people would disagree but I just think his offensive play and his vision on the ice is unbelievable. Crazy thinking he is only 17 years old.

But he would also have limited ice time on the Winterhawks team, so he wouldn't be putting up 19 goals on that team, more like in the range of 9-12. I agree that he would probably be putting up more assists.

Skating is definitely the biggest strength for Theodore, and what, if anything, will get him into the NHL some day. Look for him to go in the early second round. Top shelf prospects has him ranked as the number 33 prospect.

I am still predicting a team goes "off the board" and takes him alot higher than he is ranked.. NHL.com Morreale has him getting picked by Detroit at 18. I think thats the highest I have seen him in mock drafts. There is soooooo many different rankings in every mock draft pretty much from #10-#50. Even quite a few differences from 5-10!... Its crazy this year. For whatever reason I am still thinking Theodore will go anywhere from 10-20. I know alot of people think I am crazy for thinking that but I have seen him play many times in many different WHL arenas and he is a very special offensive defenseman talent

I think guys like Theodore, Bowey etc really speak volumes about the depth of this draft class ( I mentioned those two because I like them both and have them in my top 30). In an average year I think both would be sure-fire mid-to-late first rounders. There's still a chance for either or both guys to go in the first round, but no one's going to be shocked if they're second rounders. There are just so many guys who can go in that mid-first to mid-second range, way too hard to make an honest prediction on some of these guys.

He's a first round package in my opinion. That's a good deal of skill and skating. He has a lot of confidence with the puck. I only have limited viewings of him, but his puck skills and poise were impressive, his defense - of course - was not...because if it was, we'd actually be talking about a top 10, 15 pick here.

I'll say the same thing I say about Nic Petan...it's an awful lot of skill to continue to pass up. Teams with a second first rounder probably won't hesitate to swing for the fences with Theodore late in the first round I believe...

Theodore is very effective in the WHL but i see so many red flags with him in terms of his game translating to the pros. He creates most of his offense with his feet which he can get away with in the dub but wont work playing against people who can skate as well as him. He makes bad decisions with his passing which results in some brutal turnovers pretty regularly. His goals come mostly from wristers on the rush and his slapshot is just ok. He has no physicality and is a liability defensively.

With that said there is no denying he is incredibly talented. I think he could put up good numbers in the NHL but isnt suited for the game the playoffs are becoming. I almost think he'd be a better forward prospect than he is a defender. If everything goes right and his defense improves, and this is a BIG IF, i could see him becoming a keith yandle type player. But it is much more likely he tops out as a MA Bergeron or JM Liles type

He's got good vision and hockey sense, well above average, but definitely not 'possibly tops in the WHL'.

Well, realistically perhaps not, but there ARE only 3 other players from the WHL ranked higher than him heading into the draft, and not one of them has nearly the "one dimensionally offensive" reputation. In the absence of a more discriminating head-to-head testing method in this regard, I don't think it's THAT bold of a statement, actually, even if I also disagree.

I can't wait to see where this kid goes. He is a solid defenseman for the T-Birds. I am a T-Bird fan, so I have been able to see him play over the last two years. He has some issues with his decision-making, but as he gains more experience, that part of his game is shoring up. I am rooting for him. Go Shea!!